GMG - Las Vegas Weekly

September 12, 2013

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A&E | FOOD
> PAN-SEARED
PERFECTION Make
sure your scallops are
dry and your pan is hot
if you want them to
look as good as they
do at Tender.
RECIPE
FRESH ALTERNATIVE
Quinoa at a steakhouse? Tender offers a tasty scallop combo
Tender Steak and Seafood at Luxor
Diver scallops with quinoa
SERVE S FOUR
has ﬁrmly established a reputation
for dishing up some serious diversity on its
menu, and chef KC Fazel isn't afraid to use
trendy, healthy ingredients to spice things
up further. "We want you to be able to have a
new experience every day without leaving the
property," he says. "We use a lot of different
ingredients here, including grains, incorporating them into a dish for people who might
be a little nervous about committing to something like that as a side order." For example,
simply seared scallops are served over slightly
crunchy, ﬂavor-infused quinoa with vegetables and a bright squeeze of lemon juice. You'll
probably be tempted to order a juicy ribeye on
your next visit to Tender, so give this healthy
dish a shot in your own kitchen. –Brock Radke
16 large sea scallops
1 cup quinoa
2 cups fish or chicken stock
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. canola or
vegetable oil
1 small white onion
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup corn, freshly shucked
or frozen
1 cup V-8 juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
C H E F TA L K
JIM OPPAT
Andiamo Steakhouse
Corporate executive
chef Jim Oppat has
been with the Joe Vicari
restaurant group for seven
years, and the company
has doubled in size during
that time. That expansion
has included the opening
of Andiamo Steakhouse
at the D, where the
Detroit-based company
also operates D Grill, a
24-hour restaurant.
"For the ﬁrst three
weeks, we didn't breathe
fresh air," Oppat says of
opening the restaurants in
Las Vegas. "We never left
the casino. It was work
from 8 a.m. until three in
the morning." The Andiamo
operation includes butchering all meat in house and
working with some very
speciﬁc vendors. "Detroit
and Vegas are not the same,
but we are dedicated to
making sure the food and
service is on par with the
level of excellence we've
already established. We
operate our business kind
of like an old-world restaurant, preparing everything
fresh from scratch every
day, hand-trimming every
steak. We believe in that."
One of the little details
that stands out at Andiamo
is the signature "zip" steak
sauce. "It's a home run,
very intensely ﬂavored,"
Oppat says of the reduced
veal stock and whipped
whole butter concoction.
"It may be new to Vegas,
but it's really popular in
Detroit. Everybody knows
what zip sauce is there, and
others have tried to copy it.
But nothing beats the real
deal." –Brock Radke
k Soak quinoa in fish or chicken stock overnight with thyme sprigs and bay
leaves. k Cut onion in half and char in hot pan with oil, then remove and
immediately add corn kernels and char them. k In separate pot, add onion
with quinoa that has been soaked. Add V-8 juice and bring to simmer. Cook
about 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa has a slight crunch;
season with salt and pepper. Add roasted corn and olive oil; keep warm.
k Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper. In
heavy-bottomed pan, heat 1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil. k When it begins to
smoke, carefully add scallops one at a time. If necessary, cook scallops in two
separate batches. Allow scallops to brown well on one side (about four minutes)
then turn over and cook another four minutes. k Remove from heat and drain
excess oil and juices. Serve scallops over quinoa and finish with lemon juice.
TENDER Luxor, 262-4852. Daily, 5-11 p.m.
50 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM SEPTEMBER 12–18, 2013
50_Food_2_20130912.indd 50
DIVER SCALLOPS BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS
9/11/13 1:15 PM